Govt faces backlash after ICJ stays Jadhav execution

Opposition parties on Thursday expressed their disapproval of the decision announced by the International Court of Justice in Kulbhushan Jadhav case, saying the government was not prepared to present the case.

The International Court of Justice on Thursday ordered Pakistan not to execute Jadhav , an Indian naval officer convicted of espionage and terrorism.

“Our lawyers weren’t prepared to defend the case,” said Shireen Mazari, chief whip of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). “This whole game started when Jindal visited Pakistan. Everything was pre-planned,” she added.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sherry Rahman said the government did not raised the matter with the United Nations “despite PPP’s repeated demands”.

The UN court ruled unanimously that Pakistan shouldn’t carry out the death penalty on Jadhav pending the outcome of a case filed by India alleging that Pakistan breached Jadhav’s right to consular assistance following his arrest last year. Jadhav was convicted in Pakistan and sentenced to death on April 10.

“Pakistan shall take all measures at its disposal to ensure that Mr Jadhav is not executed,” court President Ronny Abraham said at a hearing in the ornate, wood-paneled Great Hall of Justice in The Hague.

India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted that the “ICJ order has come as a huge relief to the family of Kulbhushan Jadhav and people of India.”